The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-21
FORFEITED LAND GRANTS
RAILROAD LANDS OPENED FOR
PUBLIC ENTRY.

Secretary Lamar's Plan for Restoring
the Public Domain - 1t Meets the
Presidents Approval-Only a Few
Southern Roads Interested - Fair
Dealing with all Interests the Rule.
WASHINGTON, May 20.-Secretary Lamar
to-day addressed to President Cleveland a
long communication upon the subject of re-
storing to entry and settlement public lands
withdrawn as indemnity lands for the bene-
fit of land grant railroads The President
indorsed his approval upon it and it will
be Immediately carried into effect The
letter recites that many of the beneficiary
roads have made indemnity selections to the
full extent of their rights, and that
others have selected all lands
within indemnity limits subject to
selection Among those which have select
ed full quantity, are the Mobile and Ohio
River railroad, in the State of Alabama;
the Pensacola and Atlantic and Pensacola
and Georgia, i'll the State of Florida. Among
those which have selected, as far as there
are lands subject to such selection, are the
Alabama and Chattanooga, the Alabama
and Florida, and South and North Alabama
in the State of Alabama; Mobile and Ohio
River and Vicksburg and Meridian, in Mis-
slsSippl; Florida and Alabama, and Florida
Atlantic and Gulf Central, in the State of
Florida; VicksbWg, Shreveport and Texas
and New Orleans and Pacific, in Louisiana.
The status of land grant roads in other sec
tions of the country is also stated These
withdrawals have been running for various
periods, the longest being in the case OF the
Mobile and Ohio, three years.
LANDS TO BE OPENED FOR SETTLEMENT.
The letter then proceeds to say:
under rulings of this department
no settler can acquire any rights
under any of the general land laws
to any part of the public domain so long as
the same remains withdrawn by order of
the President or by his authority. There
seems now to be no valid reason why these
orders of withdrawal should not be revoked
distinctions in the wav of bona fide settle
ment of the public domain should be
removed as speedily as possible, after the
reasons which created them have ceased to
exist. Believing that these railroad
companies have had ample time
to assert any rights they may
have had in regard to indemnity to
which they may be entitled, and that no un-
necessary hardship can now result to them
by adding these lands to the public domain
for the benefit of settlers, it is my purpose,
II 1t meets your approval, to take all neces-
sary steps looking to the accomplishment of
that object. l suggest, in order to prevent
action being taken which may result in
hardship in any case, that thirty days notice
be given by publication in some leading
newspaper in the locality of these respective
roads, notifying their managers of the p,l-
pose of this department, in order that they
may show cause if they can, by a certain
day, to be fixed i'll such notice, why the
proposition therein submitted should not be
carried into execution.
RAILROADS TO BE UNIDENTIFIED.
Steps will be taken in reference to in
demnity lands of other land grant railroads,
with view of the restoration of these lands
to settlement allowing given and reasonable
time to make their selections) as soon as the
department is in possession of such informa-
tion as will enable it to act intelligently, to
make allowance to said companies of indem-
nifty lands in lieu of those lost in place"
Portions only of the Norther. Pacific rail-
road sections in Minnesota and Washington
Territory are mentioned as having received
their full indemnity or exhausted all avail
able lands. The remaining portions of that
road and all other Paoaiic roads come within
the provisions of the paragraph last quoted.